Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1887-03-31
VALENTINES DAY.
HOW A BISHOPS NAME CAME TO BE
PERPETUATEO.

The Vulgar Valentine and Its Base Uses.
A Weapon in Vogue with the Coward
ly and Vile demons of Spite-SchooI-
boys Opportunity.
The revenges Of time are very peculiar
There was Bishop Valentine. See what he
was made TO suffer for nearly 1900 years
1t was about 1.626 years ago that he was
foully set upon, arrested, beaten with clubs,
and finally beheaded. This was, TO say the
least, very harsh treatment Of an elderly and
respectable prelate He had aroused local
feeling in some way, Of course, or all this
would not have happened. But howi Many
believe to this day that. he was the author of
the practice of sending love messages on
Feb. Il, and that his punishment was
not incommensurate with his crime. But
history exonerates him from so serious
charge. The poor old man had no cupidal
experiences that any one ever heard of. His
ofTense was no worse than befriending the
Christian martyrs in the persecution of
Claudius IL On Feb. IA, go, be was be-
headed.
After that event some of his friends set
about doing him honor. Pope Julius built a
church to perpetuate his memory near Ponte
Molle ''The heathens,H as the Christians
called them, were in the habit Of having
festival on Feb. Is. The boys drew
the names of girls in honor Of their goddess,
Februata Juno In order to abolish this Gus
tom several jealous pastors substituted the
names of saints in billets given on this day,
Feb. a. So DR. Valentines name got started
as belonging to this day, and it was no time
till the world was ready to give him the
credit of the whole business There was,
however, no connection between the good
man and the custom of St Valentines day as
it has been known ever since. 1t is sup
posed to be of pre-Christian origin
DEGENERATE FESTIVAL
In a very modern work the 14th of Feb
ruary is described as a degenerate festival
upon which "jocular anonymous letters are
sent to persons whom one wishes to quiz, and
these chiefly by the humber people. Maid
servants and young fellows interchange such
epistles with each other, no doubt conceiving
that the joke is amazingly good"
This is very tame description Of the de-
generate side of st. Valentines day. In the
vulgar valentine Loves mortal enemy, Hate,
is represented. The other side of the story
has hearing. Originally Momus had hand
in it. but the returns became too heavy for
him and he fed the field, leaving it to all the
little demons of spite, revenge, envy and jeal-
ousy The coward who wants to hurt some
body and not be known as striking the blow
finds weapon all ready to his hand in the
vulgar valentine He sends it and then sits
down and laughs over the rage of the re-
ceiver. as he pictures it in his mind. He fan
cies that he has perpetrated the most uproari-
Gus joke 1t is a one-legged joke, and he
owns the leg, but that doesn't disconcert him.
Men of cruel and low instincts lave always
laughed at the wounds they have inflicted
upon others. There are still living persons
who find cause for mirth in pulling a chair
from under another person. Ideas of humOr
keep pace with the intellect. The fun boor
expires over would be only gross and unpar-
donable rudeness to gentleman.
About this time the landlady of the board
ing house gets a very large mail She sees
herself and her table, her daughter, her dress
and her tastes caricatured without mercy.
She knows that these printed and painted in
suits emanate most likely from the men and
women who sit at her table, but she is not in
position to escort them through the street
door and tell them never to return She feels
these knives of malice very keenly, but she
pockets her wrath and says nothing.
CowARDs' VANTAGE GROUND.
Unmarried women III J0elf are
blessed on St Valentines day with numer-
Gus coarse reminders of their years. Pictures
of hideous hags are sent them as gentle hints
that their youthful charms have departed;
or they are represented as flinging nooses at
every male creature they see. These polite
offerings emanate from coarse minded rivals,
or snubbed beaux of no particular decency of
thought
anC1 ant To frat T01n 1fy fnf
sealed envelopes on st. Valentines day
Many small boy nurses his grudge patiently
until the dreadful time comes round, and
then unloads his pent up wrath by means of
villainous lampoons, whose depravity he
isn't even large enough to understand.
1t may be that day devoted to exchanging
insults is necessity with low order of mind
Otherwise the ebullitions might be more fire.
quent At all events, the day viewed as a
vantage ground for towards to mail lam
poons to those they either envy or hate has
become important enough to establish trade
in its vile merchandise. Flash news stands
drive lively business for fortnight before
st. Valentine comes round. The person who
stands in need of particularly incisive lam
poon to send to his enemy can find one ready
made and colored to his hand. The authors
of these fearful documents have left no body
unprovided for. They have the list of types
of men and women made up with complete
ness that Savors of genius. And they have
brought printed insults down within the
reach of the humblest and poorest. For five
cents one can get a valentine of the most in
cisive and offensive description. This is no
trade that caters to the rich. Anybody with
nickel ahead can treat his rival or his
enemy, or even his benefactor, to pang of
discomfort. Attacks on ones self-respect are
thus made so cheap that anybody's enemy
can arm himself with one or more of them.
GERTRUDE GARRISON.
Hurry and Dispatch.